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Music to my brother’s ears

Music to my brother’s ears Why (and how) we created new  audio products  for hearing impaired persons Prepared for Positive Lifestyles Panel (Friesen Conference 23 April 2009) By Morley Lipsett (semi-retired) SFU Centre for Policy Research on Science and Technology and

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Music to my brother’s ears

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  1. Music to my brother’s ears Why (and how) we created new audio products for hearing impaired persons Company Confidential Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. © 2009

  2. Prepared for Positive Lifestyles Panel (Friesen Conference 23 April 2009) By Morley Lipsett (semi-retired) SFU Centre for Policy Research on Science and Technology and Earl Lipsett(retired musician/educator) With inspiration from Naftaly Ramrajkar (Product developer, audiophile & sage) Introduction

  3. My brother (and his ears) Meet the guy that introduced me to classical music 65 years ago

  4. Predicament & the germ of an idea • My visit to Edmonton • Aging ears – and in a hospital • What, no iPod? • How hearing loss became a virtue

  5. My ‘cool’ gear (on the plane)

  6. Meanwhile at the hospital • Physical discomfort • No tv • No CDs • No audio-visual enjoyment available • My iPod unsuited to Earl’s ears, with or without hearing aid. So I went shopping for a remedy. –None existed!

  7. And this begins our story -

  8. Disconnects Hearing aid culture • Invisibility • Low power/tiny battery • Not mp3-friendly • Limited dynamic range tiny transducers low voltage • Annoying to wear; easy to misplace • Associated with ageism iPod culture • Cool • Visible & fashionable • Superb sound quality for ‘normal hearing’ • Music, music, music • Trendy earphones But • neglects personal hearing deficits Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. © 2009

  9. Not enjoyed (yet)by persons with hearing loss Such as • Rock Musicians • Age related (Boomers) • Pilots • Occupational damage • Slow degradation over time Most everyone, sooner or later In fact • Most people don’t know what they’ve been missing • They just gradually got used to • less brilliance • lack of localization • reduced clarity • muffled sounds Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. © 2009 9

  10. Hearing acuity • Often assumed • Not normally measured until deafness is suspected Frequently a matter of opinion rather than accurately assessed. Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. © 2009

  11. Yet audiograms are like eye exams • Person with hearing loss • Person with ‘normal’ hearing Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. © 2009

  12. So we set out • To match the sounds of the world • To Earl’s hearing spectrum By using musician-quality equipment. (i.e. audiophile, hi-fidelity, studio-quality stuff) Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. © 2009

  13. Technical objectives • Restore audiophile listening experience i.e. beyond today’s youth • For recorded performances and • Live events Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. © 2009

  14. How we did it (eventually) • Implementation • Developed a special, prototype interface device to precisely compensate (SpectraPhonics Normalizer technology) • Fed studio quality earphones/headphones (as used by artists and audiophiles) Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. © 2009 14

  15. Obvious, perhaps, but unavailable Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. ©2009

  16. Demo Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. (c) 2009

  17. We got it to work! At first with headphones and CD’s

  18. Then with mics, ready for rehearsals Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. (c) 2009

  19. Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. (c) 2009

  20. Resulting experience (field trials) • Like putting on glasses and seeing clearly - again. • 20/20 listening • Thrilling! Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. ©2009

  21. Technology & Gerontology • Today’s media - MP3/Video players, video games, downloaded content, and live performances rely on hearing. • Yet hearing profile (loss) has been and continues to be neglected by these markets • Except for hearing aids • Which are marketed as if for the infirm, the old, the defective. Company Confidential - Bowen Innovation Consultants, Ltd. (c) 2009

  22. Our ‘positive lifestyles’ vision to make it cool to be custom fitted for ‘ear glasses’. • Let’s enjoy 20/20 listening; Let’s redefine ‘normal’!

  23. Any questions?Does anybody here care to get involved in this work? We wish to thank all of you, and a special thanks to the conference organizers ...M & E

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